Both the UCI 17+2 and the Irvine 11 appeared in court this week. The 17+2, facing a cumulative 57 misdemeanor counts for a sit-in last February 24, had their pretrial hearing, initially scheduled for Monday, postponed until May 6. It was revealed by lawyers that the Orange County District Attorney is subpoenaing the students academic records and their UCI email accounts, including privileged communications between the students and their academic advisors, and between several who taught and their own students. The DA has also offered at least the 17 with a deal, which the lawyers rejected: 3 years formal probation, with no jail time. Hell no, drop the charges!

The Irvine 11 appeared today, and had their arraignment continued another month. The students are asking the California state Attorney General to take the case, after discovering leaked emails between DA Tony Rackaukas and others referring to it as “the Muslim case.” While some of the local Zionist financiers have been meeting face to face with Tony to convince him to silence the anti-Zionist movement, we support the Jewish Voice for Peace letter to the DA, asking that their members be charged for similarly disrupting speakers. (See our other post for more examples of unpunished disruption) And we also appreciate calls by Mark Petracca and the majority of the local Zionist organizations to drop the charges as well–in their case, the more the 11 and Palestine are in the news, the less they are able to silently support ethnic cleansing and forced migration in the West Bank and Gaza. Perhaps in that regard, we should applaud Tony for keeping the media spotlight on Palestine!

Student rapist Regent Jesse Cheng was found guilty by UCI’s Repression Kommissar Edgar Dormitorio of “unwanted touching” and is sentenced to “probation.” What this means is that by the time the appeal is over, Jesse will have already graduated, without final charges. It also means that the UC Regents will not be removing him from his position of representing students. However, it should be said, conduct charges do not equal justice for Laya, and instead make a mockery of her case. By charging Jesse through the Office of Student Conduct, UCI is trying to both validate their past repression of 30 students while also letting him off with a slap on the wrist. We want Jesse to be held accountable for his actions–whether or not he did it–BY STUDENTS, not by a politically driven kangaroo court. Not to mention it’s downright ridiculous that students be suspended, assigned community service, and have their organizations banned for participating in nonviolent protests, while a student is given probation for sexual battery.

Thank you for publishing the truth about Jesse’s sanctions. He’s getting away with sexual battery! How can he continue representing students when he has committed such a crime?? Students’ fees continue to pay for HIS tuition as HE continues to abuse women.. this was not just one case, Laya is one of many of his victims.